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| Founded | 1876 |
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| Location | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
TheFlorida Yacht Club is a privatecountry andyacht club inJacksonville, Florida, U.S. It is the oldest social club in Jacksonville, and is the fourth oldest surviving yacht club in the U.S. It was founded in downtown Jacksonville in 1876, and moved to its present location in theOrtega neighborhood in 1928.
The Florida Yacht Club was established by seventeen charter members in 1876. New York businessmanWilliam Backhouse Astor, Jr., was the driving force behind the creation of a club promotingboating and water sports inJacksonville. Astor felt that the broad and slowSt. Johns River was a perfect location for boating, though he was the only person in Jacksonville to actually own ayacht at the time. The original clubhouse was constructed at the end of Market Street in downtown Jacksonville, and cost $3,500, to which Astor contributed $500. The original Florida Yacht Club building was a large two-story edifice, with the second floor being used for gatherings anddances. Astor served as the club's first "Commodore".[1]
The original building burned down in theGreat Fire of 1901. The club moved to a temporary clubhouse in theRiverside neighborhood, before relocating to a new dedicated facility on Willow Branch Creek in 1907. In 1928 the club moved to its present building in theOrtega neighborhood. The current clubhouse was designed in theMediterranean Revival style and cost $90,000.[1]
30°15′09″N81°41′23″W / 30.2524°N 81.6897°W /30.2524; -81.6897